Our main reason for visiting Nagasaki was to see the historic island of Dejima. This is a place to which foreigners were relegated during the time Japan was closed. Circa 1823 or so, the land mass was actually a man-made island stuck off the coast of Nagasaki, hanging into the bay by one bridge. The shogun used the unusual circumstances of the island to decree it simultaneously not part of Japan yet under Japanese law; thus, foreigners could live there. They could not leave except by ship, and only a few were allowed to visit the mainland, one of whom was the doctor and researcher at Dejima, Philipp Franz von Siebold.
Many of you may know Siebold from Matt's facebook photo. To the left is the actual portrait of Siebold, age 30, painted on Dejima in 1823 by Kawahara Keiga. We saw this, along with many other paintings depicting life on Dejima and Siebold's plant research in a museum dedicated to the doctor and his research. In light of an incredible novel we read recently called The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, visiting these two places were possibly the most rewarding experiences from our time in Japan. If you have not read this book, do so immediately. Then go to Nagasaki and geek out over the ingenious way the author wove the actual history of Dejima and von Siebold into a fantastic and utterly moving novel. von Siebold was, as mentioned, the resident doctor of Dejima. He taught medicine to the Japanese and was one of the only foreigners allowed access to mainland Japan, where he researched native plants.
This work turned him into one of the first Japanese scholars. He learned the language, married a Japanese woman, and had a daughter. He was thrown out of the country as a spy because of his research, and spent 30 years separated from his wife and child. His Japanese daughter grew up to be a well-respected doctor and midwife due to her father's teaching, and she delivered one of the heirs to the throne who helped open the country for the Meiji era. Below is a document of von Siebold's research from Japan, and to the side is Matt "Siebolding."
The historic buildings of Dejima:
Deputy Director's Quarters, a huge building that spans the length of one of the main streets on the island. Around it are several warehouse spaces, the Ship's Captain's Quarters, and some Clerk's Quarters. Behind it is the row for Japanese residents of Dejima (translators, visiting dignitaries, and servants).
Inside the main quarters were several lavish rooms. This one was used for preliminary business meetings and so small-scale entertainment. Across from this was a room for conducting actual transactions of the East India shipping company, signing paperwork, solidifying contracts, and the like.
This is the dining hall, used for large-scale dinners and entertainment. In all the rooms, note the tatami on the floors and the Japanese-style walls, both covered with European-designed rugs and wallpapers. Of course, there is also the furniture. In this picture, the table is set with a feast for the "winter solstice" festival, which was in actuality Christmas. However, Christianity was forbidden on Dejima so the sailors and workers had to hide their rituals.
To learn more about this place, visit this link. It's worth a long look, I promise.
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